Simulated engine failure becomes real

The flight instructor and the student pilot departed on a local training flight in the Cessna 152. After completing maneuvers at 2,000 feet, the CFI initiated a simulated engine failure and proceeded to demonstrate the forced landing procedure to the student.

He selected a field near Venice, Florida, as the forced landing location and applied carburetor heat.

After turning onto final approach for the field at an altitude of about 500 feet, the CFI discontinued the simulation by turning off the carburetor heat and applying engine power to initiate a climb.

However, the engine then “sputtered and produced no power,” according to the flight instructor. He subsequently conducted a forced landing to the field.

During the post-accident examination of the airplane, no fuel was observed in either of the two wing fuel tanks. However, the fuel quantity at the time of the accident could not be determined because a fuel line was damaged during impact, and fuel might have leaked out after the accident.

An auxiliary fuel supply was plumbed into the fuel system, and the engine started immediately, accelerated smoothly, and ran continuously with no anomalies observed.

Probable cause: A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined.

Comments

If you have not read it, I highly reccomend Earnest Gann’s ” Fate is the Hunter “.
The first 3 or 4 pages alone may help attenuate your aviation related snark.

One of the reviews of the book I remember was a man whose only regret about the book was that he would be able to read it the first time only once. Not only is it a great aviation book, it is also great literature.